Chapter 7 – ON CARMEL (part 2)

Is the reader shocked at these sarcastic utterances of Elijah on this occasion? Then let us remind him that it is written in the Word of Truth, “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision” (Psalm 2:4). Unspeakably solemn is this, yet unmistakably just: they had laughed at God and derided His warnings and threatenings, and now He answers such fools according to their folly. The Most High is indeed longsuffering, yet there is a limit to His patience. He calls unto men, but they refuse. He stretches out His hand unto them, but they will not regard. He counsels them, but they set it all at nothing; He reproves, but they will have none of it. Shall, then, He be mocked with impunity? No. He declares, “I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear comes; When your fear comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish comes upon you. Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me” (Prov 1:26-28).

The derision of Elijah upon mount Carmel was but a shadowing forth of the derision of the Almighty in the day when He deals in judgment. Is our own lot now cast in such a day? “For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: they would none of My counsel, they despised all My reproof” (Proverbs 1:29-30). Who with any spiritual discernment can deny that those fearful words accurately describe the conduct of our own generation, especially so during the past twelve years, and markedly so at the present moment? Is, then, the awful sentence now going forth, “Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the ease (margin) of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them” (31-32)? If so, who can question the righteousness of it? How blessed to note that this unspeakably solemn passage ends with, “But whoever hearkens unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil” (33). That is a precious promise for faith to lay hold of, to plead before God, and to expect an answer thereto, for our God is not a deaf or impotent one like Baal.

One would have thought those priests of Baal had perceived that Elijah was only mocking them while he lashed them with such cutting irony, for what sort of a God must he be which answered to the Prophet’s description! Yet so infatuated and stupid were those devotees of Baal that they do not appear to have discerned the drift of his words, but rather to have regarded them as good advice. Accordingly, they roused themselves to yet greater earnestness, and by the most barbarous measures strove to move their God by the sight of the blood which they shed out of love to him and zeal in his service, and in what they supposed he delighted. What poor, miserable slaves are idolaters whose objects of worship can be gratified with human gore and with the self-inflicted torments of their worshipers! It has ever been true, and still is today, that “the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty” (Psalm 74:20). How thankful we should be if a sovereign God has mercifully delivered us from such superstitions.

“And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, until the blood gushed out upon them” (1 Kings 18:28). What a concept they must have held of their deity who required such cruel macerations at their hands! Similar sights may be witnessed today in heathendom, and in a milder form among the deluded Romanists with their penances. The service of Satan, whether in the observance of idolatrous worship or in the practice of immoralities, while it promises indulgence to men’s lusts is cruel to their persons and tends to torment them in this world. Jehovah expressly forbade His worshipers to “cut themselves” (Deuteronomy 14:1). He indeed requires us to mortify our corruptions, but bodily severities are no pleasure to Him. He desires only our happiness, and never requires one thing which has not a direct tendency to make us more holy that we may be more happy, for there cannot be any real happiness apart from holiness.

“And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice nor any to answer, nor any that regarded” (1 Kings 18:29). Thus they continued praying and prophesying, singing and dancing, cutting themselves and bleeding, until the time when the evening sacrifice was offered in the temple at Jerusalem, which was at 3 p.m. For six hours without intermission had they importuned their God. How do heathens put to shame many professing Christians today, who think the worship of God a weariness and the service too long if it lasts a couple of hours! Four hours is not too long for a dance, or some other folly. Why is this? Because their heart is in it, whereas in going up to the house of prayer they only follow custom. But all the exertions and imploring of Baal’s prophets were unavailable: no fire came down to consume their sacrifice. Surely the lengths to which they had gone was enough to move the compassion of any deity! And since the heavens remained completely silent did it not prove to the people that the religion of Baal and his worship was a delusion and a sham?

“There was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.” How this exposed the powerlessness of false gods! They are impotent creatures, unable to help their votaries in the hour of need. They are useless for this life; how much more so for the life to come! Nowhere does the imbecility which sin produces more plainly evidence itself than in idolatry. It makes utter fools of its victims, as was manifest there on Carmel. The prophets of Baal reared their altar and placed upon it the sacrifice, and then called upon their God for the space of six hours to evidence his acceptance of their offering. But in vain. Their importunity met with no response: the heavens were as brass. No tongue of fire leapt from the sky to lick up the flesh of the slain bullock. The only sound heard was the cries of anguish from the lips of the frantic priests as they maltreated themselves until their blood gushed forth.

And my reader, if you be a worshiper of idols, and continue so, you shall yet discover that your God is just as impotent and disappointing as was Baal. Is your belly your God? Do you set your heart upon enjoying the fat of the land, eating and drinking not to live, but living to eat and drink? Does your table groan beneath the luxuries of the earth, while many today are lacking its necessities? Then know you this: if you persist in this wickedness and folly, the hour is coming when you shall discover the madness of such a course. When your digestive system is ruined, when the very sight of the dainties you lusted after shall nauseate you, when the doctors are unable to give you a new stomach or prolong your wretched existence, then will it be utterly vain for you to pray unto savory dishes, for they are powerless to help you. And in Hell your distress will be immeasurably greater: not only will any relief from your sufferings be denied, but you will be bidden to “remember that you in your lifetime received your good things . . . but now you are in torment” (Luke 16:25).

Is pleasure your God? Do you set your heart upon a ceaseless whirl of gaiety? Rushing from one form of entertainment to another, spending all your available time and money in visiting the garish shows of “Vanity Fair?” Are your hours of recreation made up of a continual round of excitement and merriment? Then know you this: if you persist in this folly and wickedness the hour is coming when you shall taste of the bitter dregs which lie at the bottom of such a cup. When your nervous system is wrecked through turning into day, when the very things you so much craved shall pall on you-when you shall find it impossible to get any “thrill” out of the vanities which once enthralled you-then shall you discover the emptiness of such baubles and their inefficiency to minister relief in your hour of need. What would be the use of praying too such objects as the race track, the football game, the theater, the dance hall? Could any movie star or worldly companion ease your dying pillow or give you any true comfort on the threshold of a hopeless eternity?

Is mammon your God? Do you set your heart upon material riches, bending all your energies to the obtaining of that which you imagine will give you power over men, a place of prominence in the social world, enable you to procure those things which are supposed to make for comfort and satisfaction? Is it the acquisition of property, a large bank balance, the possession of bonds and shares for which you are bartering your soul? Then know you this: if you persist in such a senseless and evil course, the time is coming when you shall discover the worthlessness of such things, and their powerlessness too mitigate your remorse. You may worship your golden image now, but in a day of crisis it will be useless to pray to it for help. When the dread summons comes, “You fool, this night shall your soul be required of you,” even though you be a millionaire, all your wealth will be unable to purchase for you a single moment’s reprieve.

O the folly, the consummate madness of serving false gods! From the highest viewpoint it is madness, for it is an affront unto the true God, a giving unto some other object that which is due unto Him alone, an insult which He will not tolerate or pass by. But even on the lowest ground it is crass folly, for no false God, no idol, is capable of furnishing real help at the time man needs help most of all. No form of idolatry, no system of false religion, no God but the true One, can send miraculous answers to prayer, can supply satisfactory evidence that sin is put away, can give the Holy Spirit, who, like fire, illumines the understanding, warms the heart and cleanses the soul. A false God could not send down fire on mount Carmel, and he cannot do so today. Then turn to the true God, my reader, while there is yet time.

Before passing on there is one other point which should be noted in what has been before us, a point which contains an important lesson for this superficial age. Let us state it thus: the expenditure of great earnestness and enthusiasm is no proof of a true and good cause. There is a large class of shallow-minded people today who conclude that a display of religious zeal and fervor is a real sign of spirituality; and that such virtues fully compensate for whatever lack of knowledge and sound doctrine there may be. “Give me a place,” say they, “where there is plenty of life and warmth even though there be no depth to the preaching, rather than a sound ministry which is cold and unattractive.” Ah my reader, all is not gold that glitters. Those prophets of Baal were full of earnest zeal and fervor, but it was in a false cause, and brought down nothing from Heaven! Then take warning therefrom, and be guided by God’s Word and not by what appeals to your emotions or love of excitement.

“And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him” (1 Kings 18:30). Clearly evident was it that nothing could be gained by waiting any longer. The test which had been proposed by Elijah, which had been approved by the people, and which had been accepted by the false prophets, had convincingly demonstrated that Baal could have no claim to be the (true) God. The time had thus arrived for the servant of Jehovah to act. Remarkable restraint had he exercised all through those six hours while he had allowed his opponents to occupy the stage of action, breaking the silence only once to goad them onto increased endeavor. But now he addresses the people, bidding them to come near unto himself, that they might the better observe his actions. They responded at once, no doubt curious to see what he would do and wondering whether his appeal to Heaven would be more successful than had been that of the prophets of Baal.

“And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down” (v. 30). Mark well his first action, which was designed to speak unto the hearts of those Israelites. Another has pointed out that here on Carmel Elijah made a three-fold appeal unto the people. First, he had appealed to their conscience, when he asked and then exhorted them: “How long halt you between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him” (v. 21). Second, he had appealed to their reason, when he had proposed that trial should be made between the prophets of Baal and himself that, “the God that answers by fire let Him be God” (v. 24). And now, by “repairing the altar of the LORD,” he appealed to their hearts. Therein he has left an admirable example for the servants of God in every age to follow. The ministers of Christ should address themselves unto the consciences, the understandings and the affections of their hearers, for only thus can the Truth be adequately presented, the principal faculties of men’s souls be reached, and a definite decision for the Lord be expected from them. A balance must be preserved between the Law and the Gospel. Conscience must be searched, the mind convinced, the affections warmed, if the will is to be moved unto action. Thus it was with Elijah on Carmel.

“And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him.” How strong and unwavering was the Prophet’s confidence in his God. He knew full well what his faith and prayer had obtained from the Lord, and he had not the slightest fear that he would now be disappointed and put to confusion. The God of Elijah never fails any who trust in Him with all their hearts. But the Prophet was determined that this answer by fire should be put beyond dispute. He therefore invited the closest scrutiny of the people as he repaired the broken altar of Jehovah. They should be in the nearest proximity so that they might see for themselves there was no trickery, no insertion of any secret spark beneath the wood on which the slain bullock was laid. Ah my reader, Truth does not fear the closest investigation: it does not shun the light, but courts it. It is the Evil One and his emissaries who love darkness and secrecy and act under the cloak of mysticism. There is nothing which Rome fears so much as the open Bible.

“And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down” (v. 30). There is far more here than meets the eye at first glance. Light is cast thereon by comparing the language of Elijah in 19:10-“the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars.” According to the Mosaic law there was only one altar upon which sacrifices might be offered, and that was where the Lord had fixed His peculiar residence-from the days of Solomon, in Jerusalem. But before the tabernacle was erected, sacrifices might be offered in any place, and in the previous dispensation altars were built wherever the Patriarchs sojourned for any length of time, and it is probably unto them that Elijah alluded in 19:10. This broken altar, then, was a solemn witness that the people had departed from God. The Prophet’s repairing of the same was a rebuking of the people for their sin, a confessing of it on their behalf, and, at the same time, bringing them back to the place of beginning.

And reader, this is recorded for our instruction: Elijah began by repairing the broken altar. And that is where we must begin if the blessing of Heaven is to come again on the churches and on our land. In many a professing Christian home there is a neglected altar of God. There was a time when the family gathered together and owned God in the authority of His Law, in the goodness of His daily providence, in the love of His redemption and continuing grace, but the sound of united worship no longer is heard ascending from the home. Prosperity, worldliness, pleasure, has silenced the accents of devotion. The altar has fallen down: the dark shadow of sin rests on the home. And there can be no approach to God while sin is unconfessed. They who hide sin cannot prosper (Proverbs 28:13). Sin must be confessed before God will respond with holy fire. And sin must be confessed in deed as well as in word: the altar must be set up again. The Christian must go back to the place of beginning! See Genesis 13:1-4; Revelation 2:4, 5!

“And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be your name” (1 Kings 18:31). This was very striking and blessed, for it was taking the place of faith against the evidence of sight. There were present in that assembly only the subjects of Ahab, and consequently, members of none but the ten tribes. But Elijah took twelve stones to build the altar with, intimating that he was about to offer sacrifice in the name of the whole nation (cf. Joshua 4:20; Ezra 6:17). Thereby he testified to their unity, the union existing between Judah and the ten tribes. The Object of their worship had originally been one and the same and must be so now. Thus Elijah viewed Israel from the Divine standpoint. In the mind of God the Nation had appeared before Him as one from all eternity. Outwardly they were now two. But the Prophet ignored that division: he walked not by sight, but by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). This is what God delights in. Faith is that which honors Him, and therefore does He ever own and honor faith wherever it is found. He did so here on Carmel, and He does so today. “Lord, increase our faith.”

And what is the grand truth that was symbolized by this incident? Is it not obvious? Must we not look beyond the typical and natural Israel unto the spiritual and antitypical Israel, the Church which is the Body of Christ? Surely. Then what? This: amid the widespread dispersion which now obtains-the “children of God” which are scattered abroad” (John 11:52)-amid the various denominations, we must not lose sight of the mystical and essential oneness of all the people of God. Here, too, we must walk by faith and not by sight. We should view things from the Divine standpoint: we should contemplate that Church which Christ loved and for which He gave Himself as it exists in the eternal purpose and everlasting counsels of the blessed Trinity. We shall never see the unity of the Bride, the Lamb’s wife visibly manifested before our outward eyes until we behold her descending out of Heaven “having the glory of God.” But meanwhile it is both our duty and privilege to enter into God’s ideal, to perceive the spiritual unity of His saints, and to own that unity by receiving into our affections all who manifest something of the image of Christ, whether they be known as Anglicans, Presbyterians, Baptists, Plymouth Brethren, or any of the designations which now obtain among men. Such is the truth inculcated by the “twelve stones” used by Elijah.

“And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the Sons of Jacob.” Let us also take notice how Elijah was regulated here by the Law of the Lord. God had given express directions about His altar: “If you will make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it. Neither shall you go up by steps unto Mine altar, that your nakedness be not discovered thereon” (Exo. 20:25, 26). In strict accordance with that Divine statute, Elijah did not send for stones that had been quarried and polished by human are, but used rough and unhewn stones which lay upon the mountain side. He took what God had provided and not what man had made. He acted according to the Divine pattern furnished him in the Holy Scriptures, for God’s work must be done in the manner and method appointed by God.

This, too, is written for our learning. Each several act on this occasion, every detail of Elijah’s procedure, needs to be noted and pondered if we would discover what is required from us if the Lord is to show Himself strong on our behalf. In connection with His service God has not left things to our discretion nor to the dictates of either human wisdom or expediency. He has supplied us with a “pattern” (compare Hebrews 8:5), and He is very jealous of that pattern and requires us to be ordered by the same. Everything must be done as God has appointed. The moment we depart from God’s pattern, that is, the moment we fail to act in strict conformity to a, “thus says the Lord,” we are acting in self-will, and can no longer count upon His blessing. We must not expect “the fire of God” until we have fully met His requirements.

In view of what has just been pointed out, need we have any difficulty in discovering why the blessing of God has departed from the churches, why His miracle-working power is no longer seen working in their midst? It is because there has been such woeful departure from His “pattern,” because so many innovations have come in, because they have employed carnal weapons in their spiritual warfare, because they have wickedly brought in worldly means and methods. In consequence, the Holy Spirit is grieved and quenched. Not only must the occupant of the pulpit heed the Divine injunction and preach “the preaching that I bid you” (Jonah 3:2), but the whole service, discipline and life of the church must be regulated by the directions God has given. The path of obedience is the path of spiritual prosperity and blessing, but the way of self-will and self-seeking is one of impotency and disaster.

“And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed” (1 Kings 18:32). Ah, take note of that: “He built an altar in the name of the LORD.” That is, by His authority-for His glory. And thus should it ever be with us-“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). This is one of the basic rules for the governance of all our actions. O what a difference it would make if professing Christians were regulated thereby! How many difficulties would be removed and how many problems solved. The young believer often wonders whether this or that practice is right or wrong. Let it be brought to this touchstone: Can I ask God’s blessing upon it? can I do it in the name of the Lord? If not, then it is sinful. Alas, how much in Christendom is now being done under the holy Name of Christ which He has never authorized, which is grievously dishonoring to Him, which is a stench in His nostrils. “Let him that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).

“And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood” (1 Kings 18:33). And here again observe how strictly Elijah kept to the “pattern” furnished him in the Scriptures. Through Moses the Lord had given orders in connection with the burnt offering that, “he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. And the sons of Aaron the priests shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head and the fat, in order upon the wood” (Leviticus 1:6-8). Those details in the conduct of Elijah are the more noteworthy because of what is recorded of the prophets of Baal on this occasion: nothing is said of their “putting the wood in order” or of “cutting the bullock in pieces and laying him on the wood,” but merely that they “dressed it and called on the name of Baal” (1 Kings 18:26). Ah, it is in these “little things” as men term them, that we see the difference between the true and the false servants of God.

“And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood.” And is there not here also important instruction for us? The work of the Lord is not to be performed carelessly and hurriedly, but with great precision and reverence. Think of Whose service we are engaged in if we are the ministers of Christ. Is He not richly entitled to our best! How we need to “study to show ourselves approved unto God” if we are to be “workmen that needs not to be ashamed” (2 Timothy 2:15). What a fearful word is that in Jeremiah 48:10: “Cursed be he who does the work of the LORD negligently” (margin): then let us seek grace to heed this malediction in the preparing of our sermons (or articles) or whatever we undertake in the name of our Master. Searching indeed is that declaration of Christ’s, “He who is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10). Not only is the glory of God immediately concerned, but the everlasting weal or woe of immortal souls is involved when we engage in the work of the Lord.

“And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water” (1 Kings 18:33-35). How calm and dignified was his manner! There was no haste, no confusion-everything was done “decently and in order.” He was under no apprehension of success, but certain of the outcome. Some have wondered where so much water could he obtained after a three years’ drought, but it must be remembered that the sea was near by, and doubtless it was from it the water was brought-twelve barrels in all, again corresponding to the number of Israel’s tribes!

Before passing on, let us pause and behold here the strength of the Prophet’s faith in the power and goodness of his God. The pouring of so much water upon the altar, the flooding of the offering and the wood beneath it, would make it appear utterly impracticable and unlikely for any fire to consume it. Elijah was determined that the Divine interposition should be the more convincing and illustrious. He was so sure of God that he feared not to heap difficulties in His way, knowing that there can be no difficulty unto One who is omniscient and omnipotent. The more unlikely the answer was, the more glorified therein would be his Master. O wondrous faith which can laugh at impossibilities, which can even increase them so as to have the joy of seeing God vanquishing them! It is the bold and venturesome faith which He delights to honor. Alas, how little of this we now behold. Truly this is a day of “small things.” Yes, it is a day when unbelief abounds. Unbelief is appalled by difficulties, schemes to remove them, as though God needed any help from us!

“And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the Prophet came near” (v. 36). By waiting until the hour when “the evening sacrifice” was offered (in the temple), Elijah acknowledged his fellowship with the worshipers at Jerusalem. And is there not a lesson in this for many of the Lord’s people in this dark day? “Living in isolated places, cut off from the means of grace, yet they should recall the hour of the weekly preaching-service, and the prayer-meeting, and at the same hour draw near unto the Throne of Grace and mingle their petitions with those of their brethren away yonder in the church of their youth. It is our holy privilege to have and maintain spiritual communion with saints when bodily contact with them is no longer possible. So, too, may the sick and the aged, though deprived of public ordinances, thus join in the general chorus of praise and thanksgiving. Especially should we attend to this duty and enjoy this privilege during the hours of the Sabbath.

“And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the Prophet came near.” But something else, something deeper, something more precious was denoted by Elijah’s waiting until that particular time. That “evening sacrifice” which was offered every day in the temple at Jerusalem, three hours before sunset, pointed forward to the antitypical Burnt Offering, which was to be slain when the fullness of time should come. Relying on that Great Sacrifice for the sins of God’s people which the Messiah would offer at His appearing on earth, His servant now took his place by an altar which pointed forward to the Cross. Elijah, as well as Moses, had all intense interest in that Great Sacrifice, as was very clear from the fact that they “spoke of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem” when they appeared and talked with Christ on the Mount of transfiguration (Luke 9:30, 31). It was with his faith depending upon the blood of Christ (not the blood of a bullock) that Elijah now presented his petitions unto God!

“And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the Prophet came near”: that is, unto the altar which he had built and on which he had laid the sacrifice. Yes, “came near,” though expecting an answer by fire! yet not in the least afraid. Again we say, what holy confidence in God! Elijah was fully assured that the One whom he served, whom he was now honoring, would not hurt him. Ah, his long sojourn at the brook Cherith and the lengthy days spent in his upper room in the widow’s house at Zarephath had not been wasted. He had improved the time by spending it in the secret place of the Most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty, and there he had learned precious lessons which none of the schools of men can impart. Fellow minister, suffer us to point out that power from God in public ordinances can only be acquired by drawing upon the power of God in private. Holy boldness before the people must be obtained by prostration of soul at the footstool of mercy in the closet.

“And said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel” (1 Kings 18:36). This was far more than a reference to the ancestors of his people or the founders of his nation. It was something more than either a patriotic or sentimental utterance. It gave further evidence of the strength of his faith and made manifest the ground upon which it rested. It was the owning of Jehovah as the Covenant God of His people, and who as such had promised never to forsake them. The Lord had entered into solemn covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:7, 8), which He had renewed with Isaac and Jacob. To that covenant the Lord made reference when He appeared unto Moses at the burning bush (Exo. 3:6 and cf. 2:24). When Israel was oppressed by the Syrians in the days of Jehoahaz we are told that, “The LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (2 Kings 13:23). Elijah’s acting faith on the covenant in the hearing of the people reminded them of the foundation of their hope and blessing. O what a difference it makes when we are able to plead “the blood of the Everlasting Covenant” (Hebrews 13:20).

“Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel” (1 Kings 18:36). This was Elijah’s first petition, and mark well the nature of it, for it makes clearly manifest his own character. The heart of the Prophet was filled with a burning zeal for the glory of God. He could not bear to think of those wrecked altars and martyred Prophets. He could not tolerate the land being defiled with the God-insulting and soul-destroying idolatry of the heathen. It was not himself that he cared about, but the horrible fact that the people of Israel were entertaining the idea that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had abdicated in favor of Baal. His spirit was stirred to its depths as he contemplated how blatantly and grievously Jehovah was dishonored. O that we were more deeply moved by the languishing state of Christ’s cause upon earth today, by the inroads of the Enemy and the awful desolation which he has wrought in Zion! Alas that a spirit of indifference, or at least of fatalistic stoicism, is freezing so many of us.

The chief burden of Elijah’s prayer was that God should vindicate Himself that day, that He would make known His mighty power, that He would turn the people’s heart back unto Himself. It is only when we can look beyond personal interests and plead for the glory of God that we reach the place where He will not deny us. Alas, we are so anxious about the success of our work, the prosperity of our church or denomination, that we lose sight of the infinitely more important matter of the vindication and honor of our Master. Is there any wonder that our circle enjoys so little of God’s blessing! Our blessed Redeemer has set us a better example: “I seek not Mine own glory” (John 8:50), declared that One who was “meek and lowly in heart.” “Father, glorify Your name” (John 12:28), was the controlling desire of His heart. When longing for His disciples to bear fruit it was that, “herein is My Father glorified” (John 15:8). “I have glorified You on the earth” (John 17:4) said the Son at the completion of His mission. And now He declares, “whatever you shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).

“Let it be known this day that You are God in Israel, and that I am Your servant.” How blessed to behold this man, by whose word the windows of Heaven were closed, at whose prayers the dead were restored to life, before whom even the king quailed-how blessed, we say, to see him taking such a place before God. “Let it be known . . . that I am Your servant.” It was the subordinate place, the lowly place, the place where he was under orders. A “servant” is one whose will is entirely surrendered to another, whose personal interests are completely subservient to those of his master, whose desire and joy it is to please and honor the one who employs him. And this was the attitude of Elijah: he was completely yielded unto God, seeking His glory and not his own. “Christian service” is not doing something for Christ-it is doing those things which He has appointed and assigned us.

Fellow ministers, is this our character? Are our wills so surrendered to God that we can truly say, “I am Your servant”? But note another thing here-“Let it be known that . . . I am Your servant”-own me as such by the manifestation of Your power. It is not enough that the minister of the Gospel is God’s servant, it must be made manifest that he is such. How? By his separation from the world, by his devotedness to his Master, by his love for and care of souls, by his untiring labors, by self-denial and self-sacrifice, by spending himself and being spent in ministering to others; and, by the Lord’s seal on his ministry. “By their fruits you shall know them”: by the holiness of their character and conduct, by the working of God’s Spirit in and through them, by the walk of those who sit under their ministry. How we need to pray, “Let it be known that I am Your servant.”